(a)    (1)    Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection, each applicant for a senatorial scholarship shall:

(i)    Take a competitive examination administered by the Office; and

(ii)    1.    Be accepted for admission in the regular undergraduate, graduate, or professional program at an eligible institution; or

2.    Be enrolled in a 2–year terminal certificate program in which the course work is acceptable for transfer credit for an accredited baccalaureate program in an eligible institution.

(2)    An applicant is exempt from the examination if the applicant:

(i)    Is attending an eligible institution and has completed at least 1 year in good academic standing at the institution;

(ii)    Graduated from high school at least 5 years before application for a senatorial scholarship;

(iii)    Is accepted for admission to a private career institution, if the institution’s curriculum is approved by the Commission, and the institution is accredited by a national accrediting association approved by the United States Department of Education; or

(iv)    Is planning to attend or is attending a Maryland community college.

(3)    An applicant is exempt from the requirements of paragraph (1) of this subsection if the applicant is or was enrolled in a certificate or license program, course, or sequence of courses at a community college that leads to certification or licensure.

(b)    Each applicant shall:

(1)    Be eligible for in–State tuition under this article; and

(2)    At the time of the applicant’s initial application, be domiciled in the legislative district from which the applicant seeks an award.

(c)    (1)    Each applicant shall demonstrate to the Office a definite financial need, and each Senator shall consider the financial need of each applicant.

(2)    Each Senator is the final judge of the financial need of each applicant to whom the Senator awards a scholarship, and the Office may not negate the Senator’s judgment or impose requirements of time or procedure.

(d)    Each applicant shall accept any other conditions attached to the award.